Kobeba Samakeyah

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Appetizers

Ingredients

Oil, vegetable (for frying) Cover the bulgur with water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and, a handful at a time, thoroughly squeeze out all liquid. Place bulgur, onions, salt and pepper in processor and process with on-and-off turns until nearly smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Transfer to bowl and knead until smooth. Set aside. Fish Filling: ============= Steam fish until just cooked. Flake into small pieces and set aside. Heat butter in a small skillet then add onion and scallions and saute until onion wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in flaked fish, cilantro, cumin and salt and pepper, stirring gently over medium heat 2 minutes. Set aside and cool completely. For Tahini Sauce: ================= Place tahini and a half cup water in processor or blender; blend until smooth. Add wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper; blend until smooth. Add enough water to bring sauce to pouring consistency. Transfer to small bowl and stir in parsley. Set aside, covered, at room temperature. To Assemble: ============ To assemble, place small bowl if ice water on work surface. Using palms, form golf ball-size balls of bulgur mixture. Dipping fingers in ice water as you work shape each ball into a hollow tube around your index finger, gently pressing mixture into small cigar-shaped tubes about 8 cm long. Moisten fingers frequently and patch any cracks as you work. Slip each shell off your finger and fill with about 1 tablespoon of cooled fish filling using a small spoon. Press ends of tubes over fish filling, forming a tight seal. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Heat 5 cm of vegetable oil in large saucepan to 190ÂșC . Fry kobebas until golden, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately with tahini sauce.